Her Treason
by Jadia
Summary: Hermione thought her life was set, that was until she discarded her old wand for a new wand...A wand that is part of a pair and a prophecy, that led to her embrace of the dark and her treasonous affair...
1. Prologue: The Heirs to Death

Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…

**Her Treason**

By: Jadia

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**Chapter One**

The Heirs to Death's Throne

Lucius Malfoy brought a glass of red wine to his lips and mused over a certain witch in his head. The other Deatheaters don't know of this particular girl's initiation into the Dark Order because the Dark Lord wanted another spy. While all the other Deatheaters would have been surprised by this girl's entrance into the Dark Order, the older Malfoy felt that the stars were finally aligning as they should have been. No, no he was anything but a Divination master and much less a Seer, but the world, in his mind, was finally settling down in its proper place.

It was easy to see that Dumbledore's "Golden Girl" and Hogwart's smartest pupil was tired of being left in the shadows of the famous Harry Potter. Well, anyone would be except for the dear Ronald Weasley, so devoted to his friend. Yes, Hermione Granger, the third member of the Golden Trio, had a dark side to her. She had an insatiable appetite for power, a lust for knowledge, and craved for well-deserved recognition. The only thing that Lucius Malfoy didn't understand was why this girl wasn't placed in Slytherin in the first place. Oh yes, that's right, the girl had dirty blood in her.

Lucius Malfoy sighed and put down his glass of wine. Her dirty blood left her unsuitable for bearing any of his heirs. Yes, it was unspeakable, but pureblooded Lucius Malfoy was intrigued by a mudblood.

Hermione Granger stared into the mirror, brandishing her left arm was the symbol of the Dark Order. The image of the snake protruding through the skull was very evident on her milky white skin. It was a revelation. Gone was the innocent and naïve girl that thought that she would get everything that she ever wanted by staying on the order of the Light, but it was clear that she would always be in the shadows of the-Boy-Who-Lived and his trusted sidekick. Every time the trio would accomplish something together to bring down a part of the Dark Order the two boys would be pushed into the limelight for their heroic deeds which only consisted of stupidity, rashness, and "sheer dumb luck." And she, the rational thinker and the person that would put together the operation would be thrust into the dark. Well, she would take their "hint" and jump into the darkness herself. Hermione Granger was proud to be one of the two and coveted female Deatheaters, the other was the one and only Bellatrix Lestrange.

The new Deatheater suddenly turned away from the mirror. She had passed the initiation and had received the Dark Mark, but the next meeting with the Dark Lord would be the most crucial one. The Dark Lord wanted to train her to be his "second spy" and that is when she will tell him of the Order of the Phoenix and the traitor that he had harbored in his inner circle.

Hermione Granger was no fool; no one would ever accuse her of being a fool. She knew that the information she would release to the Deatheaters would cause panic. An immense amount of panic, it would also cause the Dark Lord to tighten his hand around his Deatheaters and most importantly, her position would be raised to that of which rivaled Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius Malfoy, the man had been haunting her ever since her encounter with him at the International Quidditch Match. She had been intrigued by his darkness and she was sure, by the intent way that he stared at her, that he reciprocated those exact feelings, except at that time she wasn't "dark." Well, if anyone in that time told her that she would have followed Lucius Malfoy's footsteps into the Dark Arts, she would have thought that they were smoking gillyweed.

To Hermione Granger, it seemed as though her encounters with Lucius Malfoy urged her into the darkness and it was something that she enjoyed, being pursued by a mature wizard. She reclined into a chair with a cup of tea and delightfully thought of the Wizarding World in the mercy of the Dark Order with Lucius Malfoy and herself as the Dark Lord's heirs. Yes, she decided, it would be a very enjoyable sight indeed…

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First Story... 

All Suggestions and Questions welcomed...

No Promises to Suggestions...

Jadia


	2. Lack of a Proper Wand

Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story, not that I owned them in the first place. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…

**Her Treason**

By: Jadia

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**Chapter Two**

Lack of a Proper Wand

Hermione Granger knew that it was dangerous to travel the streets of Diagon Alley alone, but she couldn't help it, it was an emergency. As she rushed down the street, many people gave her a grateful smile, apparently, Hermione, in her auror robes, gave the citizens of the Wizarding World a sense of peace.

The russet haired girl walked quickly down to her destination in frustration. Yes, rational headed Hermione Granger was aggravated, she had a good reason to be as well, it seemed as though her wand was giving her problems, again. Great, who has ever heard of an Auror with a malfunctioning wand? It was unspeakable…well at least she is going to get her wand fixed …it was time for another visit to Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC…

Mr. Ollivander, owner of the Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC, was not expecting the only female of the Golden Trio. Usually, he had an uncanny instinct that told him of an impending visit, but today when he was sitting in his store regretting selling a certain wand, the curly haired auror entered. He snapped out of his daze surprised, he had never not known about an up-coming visitor, except…

Well never mind, he broke out of his trance as the young girl, no, woman, before him started to inquire him about the chances of a wand losing its magical properties.

Hermione looked at Mr. Ollivander, who at the moment seemed rather perplexed by her question.

"Ms. Granger, I have only had one case of a malfunctioning wand and that was because the owner of the wand was destined for a greater wand, I fail to see the reason why you would have to question me about a failing wand…after all these years, are you accusing of selling you a faulty wand?"

"With all due respect sir I am not making any accusations whatsoever. I am simply inquiring of the possibility…"

The elderly wizard interrupted the young auror before she could go onto a full blown rant, "Ms. Granger, let us get to the root of you visit, is there something wrong with your wand.?"

"Mr. Ollivander, if I've caused any offense I didn't mean it," Hermione sighed," I don't know what's wrong, but I can't even seem to cast a simple _Winguardiam Leviosa _with my wand."

"Hand me your wand," the elderly man commanded. He reached for Hermione's wand. "Your wand looks as if it is in perfect condition."

"I try my best to take care of it, sir."

If Mr. Ollivander had heard her, he made no indication of it, he simply pointed the wand at a vase that was sitting on his counter and muttered the levitation spell. "Ms. Granger, there's nothing wrong with this wand, it works perfectly well."

"But sir, when I try to cast a spell, it doesn't work, is it possible that my wand, after all these years, has refused its witch?"

"The only time a wand stops functioning for its owner is when the powers of a witch or a wizard has escalated so much out of the function of a wand, but Ms. Granger, in all my years of selling wands, it has only happened once."

Hermione was silent; she honestly had no idea what to say.

The awkward silence surrounded the two of them, both unsure of what to think of Hermione's situation.

"Nevertheless, we can't have the youngest female auror going about protecting the Wizarding World without a wand… Now, Ms Granger, hold out your wand hand."

Hermione did as she was told. She was suddenly bombarded with the feelings of the first time she stepped into the shop to get her first wand.

"Try this wand," and Hermione quickly pulled out of her reminiscence.

She took the wand in the elderly man's hand and unknowingly gave the wand a precise swish and flick…nothing happened. She was in the store for almost an hour before she tried most of the wands.

Hermione looked up, Mr. Ollivander had stopped handing her wands to try, instead he was muttering to himself.

"I wonder…" with these words, Mr. Ollivander swept out sight,

He left behind a poor aghast girl who was silently wondering if she really belonged to the Wizarding World.

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Well...there's the second chapter...

Thanks to all that have reviewed...grateful for all comments...more is to be revealed in the next chapter...

Sorry for the rather abrupt ending...

Review...Review...Review!

Jadia


	3. Almost Perfect

**Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story, not that I owned them in the first place. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…**

**Her Treason**

**By: Jadia**

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**Chapter Three**

Almost Perfect

Hermione, idly waiting for the return of Mr. Ollivander, started to wander around the small shop. She looked behind the counter at the places where the wands were stored and silently wondered how many wands Mr. Ollivander had made. Must have been a lot since he's been making wands for approximately a millennium and a half, she swiftly calculated. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the tingling of the doorbell that signaled the entrance of other customers.

"What are you doing here mudblood?" sneered a familiar pale-faced-boy who only succeeded to make Hermione sigh with his insults.

"You lack imagination in your insults. Hearing mudblood year after year is getting rather boring and uninteresting. If you're seeking to irritate me, I suggest you use your imagination. And I'm here for a new wand," Hermione replied rather definitively.

Draco Malfoy's eyes widened in blatant surprise.

There were only three reasons for a witch or a wizard to acquire a new wand. First, if the wand was so grossly mutated by its user (or broken) that it could not be repaired, then the user needs to acquire a second wand. But Hermione Granger was a careful girl who meticulously cared for her belongings, that wouldn't be the reason for her to come to Ollivanders for a new wand. Both the second and third reasons were plausible and Draco didn't know which one was correct. The second reason was common; a witch or wizard could lose his or powers and be unable to control a wand. Mudbloods could have this problem. The third reason was quite the opposite of the second reason. A witch or wizard could outgrow the magical capabilities of his or her first wand. Draco Malfoy certainly believed that this was possible for the youngest female auror, but he didn't want to believe it. Hermione Granger, books and cleverness, was powerful enough as she demonstrated at Hogwarts. It would be terrifying to know that after all these years, her powers were still continuously manifesting.

Hermione Granger squirmed under Draco Malfoy's heated gaze. He broke his observation of the russet haired girl with Mr. Ollivander's question.

"What may I do for you Mr. Malfoy?"

"Is it ready for me to take to my father?"

"No, the last part isn't fulfilled, but it will be fulfilled soon. Check with me later today, preferably in three hours."

The youngest female auror looked between the two men, puzzled by their cryptic exchange of words. She didn't like the situation at all. Hermione Granger wasn't a girl to go by just her instincts, she believed in facts and figures; but in this matter, she made an exception. This conversation, although she had no idea what it was about, was not good, she could feel it in her bones. Perhaps she felt suspicion because she did not like either man present. Draco Malfoy for obvious reasons: tormentor to her during her Hogwarts years; son to a well known Deatheater, Lucius Malfoy; and suspected to have taken the Dark Mark himself. All in all, Draco Malfoy was the epitome of an auror's enemy. Maybe her dislike for Mr. Ollivander was slightly unfounded. He was neutral during these dark years of war and was planning to stay neutral. It was no secret that he dealt with both forces, the Light and the Dark, providing both sides with the means to make the war longer than it should be. It enraged Hermione that for a man so talented could side with no side. Hermione thought that it was obvious that the right side was with the Light. Mr. Ollivander's indecision and lack of participation angered her.

Draco Malfoy looked skeptically into Mr. Ollivander's knowing eyes and sighed in defeat. He stormed out of the wand shop with a swing of his wizard's robes without a by-your-leave.

With Draco Malfoy's exit, Mr. Ollivander turned his attention back to Hermione. It was then that Hermione just noticed a slim case in his hand. The size of the box led Hermione to believe that Mr. Ollivander had found a possible wand for her. But she was puzzled by the box. It was different than the other cases that held wands. She could feel a magical aura around the case. Her suspicions were confirmed when Mr. Ollivander took out his wand and tapped the case. He then took a key that was hidden in the depths of his pocket and opened the case.

When Hermione saw the wand, she let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. The wand called to her. The appearance of the wand, from where she was standing, wasn't by any means special; it was plain. Mr. Ollivander beckoned her closer and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

The wand was beautiful.

Hermione Granger wasn't one to desire something merely because it was aesthetically pleasing, but this wand was an exception. It was exquisite.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Mr. Ollivander took Hermione Granger's silence as awe and he continued.

"When I look at this wand, I can't see the aesthetics, but I know that it's beautiful."

Hermione Granger looked up, perplexed. "Then how do you know it's beautiful?"

"There's a prophecy that comes with this wand and its partner. There are only three people who can see the beauty in these wands: the maker, my father; you; and the other person who the other wand belongs to."

"Do you know who the other person is?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself. The other person will not know your identity either."

"So this is my wand."

"Yes, give it a try."

With a slight wave of the wand, Hermione felt peace that she never felt with her old wand. She didn't know how to explain it, but she felt complete. This was definitely her wand.

"Do you know anything else about the prophecy?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"No."

"Okay, then, how much do I owe you for this wand?"

"Nothing, just use it well."

"But…"

"Nothing, go, its already been covered."

Hermione Granger sighed and left the store. She did something that was very unlike Hermione Granger. She completely forgot about the prophecy. It wasn't her own doing, in fact, the wand that she newly held in her hand glowed when she exited the shop.

Mr. Ollivander saw the glow. It was all part of the prophecy.

The prophecy he had hoped would not start in the midst of this war. Mr. Ollivander knew that this particular prophecy would tip the scale of the war to an extreme despite the prophecy that was already made about Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. It was greater than those two individuals, it involved two other and possibly even more powerful individuals.

Mr. Ollivander went back into the store and awaited the arrival of the older Mr. Malfoy.

At exactly three hours past Draco Malfoy's exit, Lucius Malfoy came sweeping into the wand shop with an irritated look upon his aristocratic features.

Mr. Ollivander went to the back room to retrieve a box that looked exactly like the one that Hermione Granger walked out with a little less than three hours ago. He stepped right in front of the blond man and handed him the box.

"How much?"

The wand-maker sighed in frustration at the repeated question.

"Nothing."

"I don't believe it."

"Believe it."

"Then how much for the name of the pureblooded girl that has the other wand?"

Mr. Ollivander stared at Lucius Malfoy and started to laugh maliciously. This man, in all his pureblooded sense, was about to be shocked to his senses. Mr. Ollivander would enjoy the predicament that this Malfoy was about to find himself in. He would be forced to tarnish his perfect bloodlines.

"What's so amusing? The name please," Lucius Malfoy demanded with a predatory glare.

"First, one thousand gallons."

Lucius Malfoy raised his eyebrow at the sum. One thousand gallons was easy for him to pay and he was a shrewd man. Lucius knew that that the sum requested was not only for the information but for his wand. Since the prophecy didn't allow the wand to be sold, Mr. Ollivander was seeking to obtain the money through means of overpricing information.

"Tell me, Ollivander, did you ask the person to pay this amount?"

"No, you're paying for both wands and the name since I don't want Hermione Granger worrying about money since her future counterpart has enough to cover her portion as well."

It took a while for Lucius Malfoy to process the name. He blinked realizing why the wand maker was laughing previously. If Lucius was shocked, he hid it well, leaving Mr. Ollivander without entertainment. Without a word Lucius Malfoy extracted a pouch from his robes and threw it to Mr. Ollivander who caught it deftly and in turn handed Lucius Malfoy his wand.

Mr. Ollivander opened the pouch and found Lucius Malfoy's old wand neatly broken in two and over two thousand gallons. The message was clear. Mr. Ollivander went back into his storage and smartly broke Hermione Granger's old wand.

Lucius Malfoy stormed out of the wand shop. He needed to think. His feet led him down the familiar cobbled path of Diagon Alley and led him directly to Knockturn Alley.

He made his way to a small darkened alley way. This place was a well kept secret of the pureblood families and to enter required five hundred years of purified ancestral blood. Of course anyone could enter this place if they were accompanied by any Malfoy member.

Lucius brought a dagger out of his robes and held it to his wrist. He made a slight incision that allowed a few precious drops of blood to drip out into the small perfume glass that was located at the end of the alley way. As the vile accepted his blood, the wall in front of him formed into a door which he quickly pushed open. As he stepped over the threshold, the incision on his wrist healed.

The blonde man took a deep breath and sighed in relief as he entered Briar Alley. Briar Alley was anything but an alley. It was the place where the aristocratic purebloods made their purchases. This place was not known by the ministry or the aurors, only the most elite knew of its existence. So naturally the marble paved roads were only treaded by a few people. Lucius Malfoy felt comfortable at Briar because he didn't have to push through the dirty crowds and he wasn't surrounded by filth. No Briar Alley was a well-kept, upscale place for the affluent.

Lucius Malfoy made his way to the _Stinkin' Rose_ such an odd name for a place that was clearly more than five stars. The _Stinkin' Rose _was Lucius Malfoy's main haunt when he was at Briar Alley. It was an upscale bar that served the best wines that cost easily over one hundred gallons per bottle.

He sat in his usual chair and ordered his usual drink. Lucius Malfoy looked at the glass of blood red wine in his hand. He swished it around, watching the wine gather in little drops around the glass.

Blood. She was a mudblood. His future counterpart was none other than mudblood extraordinaire Hermione Granger. He chuckled at the irony of the situation.

Lucius Malfoy would never admit it, but he was glad that girl who would fulfill the prophecy with him was Hermione Granger and not some other simpering female. Hermione Granger, although not pureblood, held herself in a manner that would make other pureblooded females pale in comparison.

The aristocratic man weighed the pros and cons of Hermione Granger being the one. The pros definitely outweighed the cons. The only con was the elimination of his pureblooded lineage. Many people thought that Lucius Malfoy was a man obsessed with keeping his lineage pure, but that was not the case. His family only wanted to keep the lineage powerful and up until know, that meant coupling and joining with other pureblooded families.

There were few exceptions that met the standards of power that were not pureblooded. In his life he had only seen two: first Lily Potter; and now Hermione Granger.

Yes, that girl would be perfect to keep that Malfoy line strong. She had a brilliant mind, an immense amount of magical power, and her strongest point was that she was level headed and could think in times of peril.

Lucius Malfoy was no fool. He and the rest of the Dark Order knew that if not for Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley would have been dead during their first year at Hogwarts.

He would never admit it, but Hermione Granger had intrigued him when he first met her at the Quidditch World Cup. He remembered clearly that she had not flinched and looked away from his unwavering gaze when he first met her. That was no small feat. Every other person besides Lord Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore would quiver under his gaze. The only reaction Hermione Granger had, was a blush.

Before he met her at the Quidditch match, he had already known all about her. She was the bane of his son's existence. Draco complained about her all the time. She beat all of Draco's test scores and graduated top of her class at Hogwarts while taking all available classes except for Divination. Practical girl, she was…not to mention beautiful.

When Lucius first met her, he had to admit that she looked mousy. She clearly hadn't grown into her looks, but she had potential, and all the boys her age where stupid for not being able to see it. She was gorgeous. Lucius remembered Draco talking about her appearance at the Yule Ball. He had seen pictures of her, thanks to the never ending camera of Colin Creevy.

She was the epitome of Lucius's perfect woman, except she fought for the Light, but that would change very soon.


	4. Rendezvous

**Thanks to all those who reviewed, all comments were greatly appreciated...**

**Chapter Four**

Rendezvous

Lucius Malfoy needed to find a way to contact Hermione Granger. He had decided that he was going to get a taste of what was rightfully his, even though he knew that his little pet would definitely protest. Of course, she could not find out his identity just yet.

Lucius knew that Ms. Granger was a practical girl. A girl who wanted to control her own destiny; she would not want to believe that her life was to be dictated by a prophecy. No, no…that would not be good…Lucius didn't want his future wife to lose the independence that shaped her personality. There he said it…Hermione Granger was going to be his wife. He could not have asked for a better person. Now he had to think of a way to seduce her into the darkness. He'd also have to kill Narcissa. He thought about how he should do it. Should she ingest poison? No…too obvious; even Draco could think of that one. Could she die during an auror raid of the Malfoy Manor? No, he'd have to be stupid to allow the Ministry of Magic to shuffle through his ancestral home. Then he had a revelation…perhaps he would leave the disappearance of Narcissa to Hermione…sort of as her initiation into the darkness…

But first, he would have to find a way to meet her and test her… For any other man, setting up a meeting where the prey has no idea whom the predator is, would be difficult. However Lucius Malfoy was no ordinary man. He held to coveted spot as the Dark Lord's right hand man and that position definitely had its perks.

Lucius Malfoy would just have to convince the Dark Lord to arrange of series of attacks. His reasoning would be to keep the Wizarding World on its toes. The attacks would definitely serve his purpose. Hermione Granger was one of the best aurors and would no doubt be sent to the midst of danger to fight Death eaters. Lucius planned to be at every single attack. He would stalk his future wife and get her when she was alone. Of course, during the course of these attacks she would not know his identity. But he was going to make sure that he was the masked man that plagued her dreams and was the object of her fantasies.

Lucius gathered his Death eater robes and his mask and apparated to the Dark Lord's current place of residence…yes, it was time to set his plan into action.

Hermione Granger bustled around the Harry Potter-Ron Weasley apartment kitchen as though she lived there. Well, she practically lived there; the boys always kept a room prepared for her. In fact, the boys had bought the spacious apartment on the assumption that their best girl would be living with them. Hermione's heart warmed at the memory of them presenting a key to her on Halloween. Halloween was the trio's anniversary of when they first became friends some many years ago during their first year at Hogwarts. Hermione had been extremely glad that the boys had thought about her during their purchase of the apartment and she felt extremely guilty when she turned their offer down. She remembered the disappointed look of their faces and the puppy-dog-eyes that they tried. The boy's double-puppy-eye power had always worked on her, but that time she was insistent that she would not live them. She needed her own space.

Hermione loved the boys but sometimes she wanted to strangle them. She hated the fact that they were always in the limelight when she did all the work.

The girl shook her head in protestation of her thoughts. No…the boys didn't do it intentionally. But she did hate the fact that her two supposed best friends forgot about her when they basked in unlimited attention.

Hermione sighed and changed her line of thought. Perhaps she should have taken up their offer; it would be easier to keep the boys out of trouble.

She yawned as she stirred her tea. It was two in the morning when Harry had apparated to her apartment and shook her awake. Ron had suddenly taken ill and was regurgitating everything that he had eaten all day. Being helpless, Harry had woken her up and the both of them apparated back to their apartment. She was now slaving over the stove making an herbal remedy that was sure to kill Ron's ailment.

Suddenly Hermione's pocket began to burn and she groaned. The false gallon in her pocket glowed, signifying that there was an emergency call. The aurors had taken her invention from her Dumbledore's Army days and made it their way of communication.

She quickly poured the remedy into a cup and brought it to Ron's room. After making sure that Ron would drink, she went to her room and got the spare auror robes that she had and swiftly changed.

Harry Potter burst into her room just as she was tying up her hair. They apparated together.

Hermione groaned as she stunned Deatheater after Deatheater. It was getting irritating as this was the third of a series of continuous attacks that Lord Voldemort had launched. He sent his lower Death eaters that were composed of idiots who didn't know how to duel. It was just a mindless job for Hermione. As she kept taking down Death eaters, she frowned. It was getting harder and harder to stun them…that was odd. Perhaps Lord Voldemort was finally sending out his higher Death eaters…the ones that knew how to duel. Things were getting interesting.

A distance from Hermione stood a man dressed in the traditional robes of a Deatheater. He had an ominous presence. His gaze was unwaveringly set on the female auror who currently had her curls tied back. She was beautiful as she took the fighting stance of a warrior with her curls coming loose from her ponytail, however the brightly colored purple auror robes did not flatter her figure or her complexion. She would look good in dark colors or in emerald green of the vivid blood red. As his eyes raked over her appearance, the woman of his gaze looked directly at his direction. He was floored by her burning amber eyes.

Being the devoted auror, Hermione made her way to the man by the tree. Her logic told her that he was highly ranked as a deatheater. The way the man held himself was telltale.

Hermione neared the tree where the man was standing, but suddenly he disappeared. Suddenly a voice whispered into her ear and sent shivers up her spine.

"Finally noticed me during the third raid, Ms. Granger. As they say, third time's a charm."

Hermione whipped around and looked up at the tall masked man who backed her into the tree and put his hands on her hips. The russet haired girl was shocked to silence and immobility, no man had handled her this way before.

"Your hair looks better down," he pulled out her hair tie.

"You'll be seeing more of me."

He lightly brushed his lips to hers and apparated before she could react.

Lucius smirked when he reached his manor. He could picture his beloved future wife standing in front of the tree, with her fingertips of her lips, wondering what just transpired.

He had his first taste of her sweetness and he wanted more…

The young female auror was rooted in her spot by the tree. She watched the remnants of the raid come to an end with the victory of her peers. She closed her eyes and thought about the man that stole her first kiss; a kiss that she had been foolishly saving for her husband, whoever he might be, was stolen by an unknown death eater. Albeit a death eater who was extremely alluring and…

"Hermione, are you okay? You look pale." Harry's concerned voice broke her thoughts.

"I'm fine, it's just a dizzy spell."

Harry looked at her skeptically.

"We better go home and get you the same cup of tea that you gave Ron as we left." Harry grinned, knowing the reaction of his friend. He patted her now tamed hair.

"No, I hate that stuff…" protested Hermione.

"No, no…it's good for you. I'll make you some when we get home. Come on." Harry's eyes sparkled in mirth.

"But, it tastes horrible and I'm actually feeling fine," Hermione lied.

"No," Harry replied definitively, "the taste doesn't matter; you'll feel better when you drink it. Trust me."

Hermione groaned at the familiar words. It was the same argument that she used on the boys when they were feeling sick before she poured the vile potion down their throats.

"I guess I'm getting a taste of my own medicine," muttered Hermione, in defeat."

Without a word, Harry Potter took the emotionally strained girl and apparated both of them home.

Surely after Harry force fed her the medicine, she did the feel better the following morning. However, Hermione really didn't need the medicine in the first place, she lied about feeling dizzy. She couldn't very well tell Harry or Ron that a mysterious death eater took her first kiss, without them going crazy and doing something rash. The boys had been very protective of her and knew that she had never been kissed. They had chased away every male that had tried to woo her. She appreciated the boys for doing this, but she was more than capable of deciding for herself who should receive her attentions.

The shrilling noise of her alarm clock shook her out of her thoughts. Unconsciously she glanced at the clock even though she knew the exact time. She looked at the device in wonder. This small time keeper was so useful. She didn't understand why the magical world didn't employ such an item; it would make everything more efficient. Everyone would always be on time if they learned how to use the wonders of the alarm clock.

Hermione shook out of her reverie. She didn't have time to think about the shortenings of the wizarding world. Although it surprised her that everyone was surprised at how she was always prompt with her arrival.

The pajama-clad girl stretched, got up from the bed, and walked to the still shrilling alarm clock placed at the other side of her room. Her parents had found it odd that Hermione did this, but once they heard her reasoning, they realized that it was a good idea and imitated her. Hermione loved sleeping. When she was young, she found herself buying new alarm clocks with her allowance. Every new clock that she bought, when placed next to her pillow, would find itself splattered across the wall, and Hermione would snuggle in her bed after unconsciously breaking it. Tired of spending her money on clocks instead of books, she developed a new way to wake up every single morning.

By placing her clock across her room, she found herself listening to the constant high pitch wailing of her clock. This would force her to arise from her bed and physically walk across the room to turn off the clock. The short distance of walking, Hermione found, successfully wakes her.

Although Hermione found this method effective, her roommates did not appreciate the never-ending noises of Hermione's muggle machine. Hermione smile as she reminisced about Lavender's reaction to her method.

Hermione shut off her clock and began to go through her morning routine of a shower and thorough dental cleaning.

She walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of orange juice from the refrigerator. Hermione looked around the well furnished kitchen and was immensely proud of herself for convincing the boys to utilize muggle appliances.

Out of habit, the russet haired girl knocked on Harry and Ron's bedroom doors, respectively.

With the usual "go away" and "bugger off" as her answers, she quickly grabbed her coat and auror robes and apparated to work. She would see the boys there when they arrived late, as usual.

Hermione arrived at her work place and said her usual greetings to the usual people. Usually she received a muttered good morning in return, but today she got stares. Quite strange.

Ignoring the odd looks, she promptly made her way to her seat and understood why she received those looks.

"Which male would be chased away by Harry and Ron this time?" Hermione muttered to herself as she looked at the elegantly decorated gift on her desk. She was just thankful that the gift wasn't flowers of any kind. Flowers were pretty, but they're so impractical. When she lifted the lid, Hermione held her breath at the item inside. The item in her hand was not a myth as she originally believed. She read in many books that Morgan le Fay, let alone, her dually purposed diary and spell book, didn't exist. However the evidence in her hand clearly pointed that the dark fairy was not a story of the legends.

Hermione being a shrewd girl knew that this gift was precious and should not be seen by others. Therefore as much as she wanted to read it, she did not lift it out of the box. But she did allow herself an extra second of admiration, and that's when she saw it. There was a note tucked into the box. Eagerly she opened it.

The note read in beautiful script:

**I'll haunt your desires and fantasies just as Morgan le Fay haunted those of Arthur's…**

At once, Hermione knew who sent her the gift and the cryptic message. The man, no deatheater, had occupied her thoughts the entire night. The message was to the point as well as egotistic. Hermione Granger was definitely intrigued at the well thought out gift, message, and of course the personage behind the mask.

"Good morning…" yelled the boisterous voices of Ron and Harry.

Hermione put the lid back on the box and put it on the side of the table.

"What'd you have there Hermione?" asked Ron after kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, just a gift from mum," she replied.

"Gift? Is it your birthday or…?" Harry immediately asked.

Hermione glared at Harry for forgetting the day of her birthday before indignantly replying that today was not her birthday and her mum could send her gifts any time she wants.

Harry looked sheepish and bent down to kiss her cheek.

"I see you're feeling better, the remedy helped."

Ron was immediately worried.

"You were feeling sick?"

Before Hermione could answer, Harry cut in and took the liberty.

"She felt dizzy during the raid last night. I found standing by a tree looking very pale."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she replied. Looking at the skeptical faces in front of her, she quickly added, "It's a _girl's _thing, you would understand." That effectively got the boys bustling off to do their own thing.

That was probably the most interesting part of the day until the communication device in the pocket started the glow. She groaned at herself for stupidly wearing heels and a skirt. She donned her auror robes and apparated to the destination.

**You'll be seeing more of me…**

She remembered the kiss and shivered.

Hermione arrived at her destination and immediately went to work by helping Tonks who was surrounded by four death eaters. With a few quick spells, she disarmed and stunned two of them.

Tonks gave her a wink and disappeared to help someone else.

That's when it happened. Someone grabbed her waist from behind and side-along-apparated with her.

"Remember me?" drawled a silken voice that haunted her dreams.

"Who are you?"

"Not important…give me your wand and you'll understand."

Hermione smirked.

"You must think that I'm incompetent. I'll never surrender my wand to you, death eater." Hermione spit out the last word with utter disdain.

Lucius pulled himself to his full height and sauntered right in front of Hermione. Hermione found herself, once again, backed up into a tree.

The blonde deatheater pressed his body to hers, molding their curves together. Lucius realized that her small 5'4" fit his tall height perfectly. This match did not go unnoticed by Hermione.

Lucius brought his gloved finger to her face and tenderly traced her cheekbones. His other hand slid down her right arm and clasped her hand; thereby successfully removing her wand from Hermione's person.

This was done so subtly or perhaps Hermione was too engrossed on the finger on her cheeks that her eyes widened significantly when Lucius held the two wands together in the diminishing light of the sunset.

Hermione looked at the two wands and was stunned. They were exactly the same. The wands looked plain from a distance, but had great detail carved onto it. The masked man brought Hermione's hand back to her own wand. Then he gently touched the tips of the wands together. The wands glowed. At the same time, the two people touching the wands were lit up by the glow. The glow was red: the color of passion; the color of blood; a color that could represent good; and a color that could represent evil.

Lucius did it again. He kissed her at that very moment. To Hermione, this kiss was completely different than the first one her received. The first one could be described as a flirting kiss. This one was full of possession. Lucius slanted his mouth over Hermione's, tasting her, trying to dominate her. Hermione would have none of that and she bit him.

The blonde man was mildly surprised by the girl's incisors sinking into his tongue. He was, however, extremely surprised by the blood that he tasted. He only smiled into the girl's eyes before he disappeared; he liked her defiance.

**Please review...**


	5. Alone

**Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story, not that I owned them in the first place. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…**

**Her Treason**

**By: Jadia **

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Alone

Many people were unaware that Lucius Malfoy was an expert at potions. He was by no means a university educated or a publicly recognized Potions Master as Severus Snape, but his skills rivaled that of his mentioned colleague. The innate skill of potions making came hand in hand with a keen sense of smell.

Lucius Malfoy was surprised by the scent that lingered on his robes after he departed from Hermione Granger.

The girl smelled of the Lily of the Valley or otherwise known scientifically as _Convallaria magalis._ The irony made Lucius chuckle. Lily of the Valley exactly characterized Hermione Granger.

This lily was told to spring from Eve's tears when she was eternally cast out and banished from the Garden of Eden. Legend tells that this flower has many uses: correctly administered, it can cure gout; properly cared for; it can fight heart disease; when decocted, it can remove obstructions of the urinary canal; it has been recommended as a substitute for aloe; distilled with wine, it's pleasant for indulging in spirits; when accumulated in the blood for excessive use, it is poisonous; and combined with certain ingredients, the concoction is untraceably and instantly lethal.

To the dark side, Hermione Granger would be innocuously helpful. To the light, well, under his tutelage, she would become an untraceable and lethal traitor.

But before she could become part of the Dark Side, Hermione Granger would have to prove herself. Lucius Malfoy knew just how to do that.

Lucius Malfoy had been having continual suspicions of Severus Snape and his loyalty to the Dark. He was almost positive that the half-blood was playing double agent, but with a penchant for the light. But the difficulty of this dilemma occurred when the Dark Lord cast a _crucio_on Lucius when he approached this subject. Lucius lost a great deal of the Dark Lord's respect after that incident, but he was able to keep the coveted spot of Lord Voldemort's right handed man. The key to gaining back the Dark Lord's trust would be to recruit a major player of the Light Side to the Dark. With Hermione Granger, he would at the same time turn the Dark Lord against Severus Snape. However, there was a lot of work before Hermione Granger could even stand before the Dark Lord.

* * *

Hermione Granger woke up on Saturday morning to a beautiful site. Her normally clean and slightly feminine room had been filled with beautiful flowers. With close inspection, she realized that the flowers were lilies, to be exact, the Lily of the Valley. 

The young woman eyes searched the room for clues of her mysterious benefactor. She only new a few things about him: he was a Deatheater; he was very attentive to details; and he was exceedingly wealthy. The Lily of the Valley was an exotic flower that easily cost more then five gallons a bud and she had a whole roomful of this fragrant flower! Although she thought flowers were an impractical gift, these particular flowers were marvelous.

Hermione's eyes finally rested on a package at the foot of her bed. She glided over to the box and realized it was wrapped with the same paper that was used to cover the Morgan la Fay diary and spell book. She lifted the lid of the box and gasped. Inside the box was a beautiful perfume bottle that was designed exactly like the engravings on her new wand. Being one of the suspicious aurors that Alistair Moody trained, she performed a diagnostic spell on the perfume bottle and its contents to make sure that there were no dark spells and traps. Seeing no alerts and with a quick spray, Hermione realized that the perfume was the one that she wore, but with a slight change. Either this deatheater was an extremely skilled potions master or was extremely affluent. Hermione preferred both, but either one would have been fine.

As the new fragrance wafted up, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what little ingredient made the Lily of the Valley smell even better. The Lily of the Valley had to be strenuously and carefully combined with other ingredients or the results could be disastrous. Hermione delved further into the box and realized the box wasn't any box, it was similar to the trunk that kept the real Mad-Eye Moody locked up for her entire fourth year at Hogwarts, except on a smaller scale.

When Hermione lifted the false bottom of the box, she discovered an assortment of different perfume bottles: all extremely gorgeous. They ranged from simple to opulent. There were literally hundreds of different bottles, but one in particular caught her eye. Inside a small and whitely frosted perfume bottle with a crystal dipper was a small note. She eagerly grabbed the note from inside the bottle and tore it open:

**This bottle was a gift from Arthur to Morgan, and now from me to you…**

There was something else.

**Honey…**

This single word immediately made sense to Hermione. Honey was the additional ingredient that this talented potion brewer had added to the scent of the Lily of the Valley to make the fragrance even more alluring.

On the back of the note with the key ingredient was another surprise for Hermione. Written on the back in a beautiful but masculine script were directions on how to convert a single flower to a bottle of perfume.

To Hermione this gift was priceless. The giver clearly understood that flowers are a nice gift but useless if they just die. This potions master put enough thought into this gift to satisfy her femininity and her intellectual curiosity. If this mysterious benefactor wasn't a death eater, Hermione would have considered marriage.

Hermione thought that she would enjoy the flowers for a couple more days before she would change the individual flowers into perfume. The girl was flabbergasted by the potion maker's ingenuity. The directions showed Hermione that the perfume was made purely of the Lily of the Valley, honey, and a dash of wand magic. Hermione chucked to herself; there is "foolish wand waving" in potions after all, take that Severus Snape. Hermione didn't even need a cauldron to make this perfume, instead all she needed were perfume bottles that were already prepared for her. Curious as she is, Hermione decided to change one flower into perfume. Grabbing a lily and a small perfume bottle, Hermione plucked a petal off the lily, put it into the perfume bottle, poured in a teaspoon of honey, put the rest of the flower (stem in the neck of the bottle) and whispered_odorifera explectus. _Hermione had to gasp once again, it seemed as though every time this deatheater was involved, she was always me with surprise after surprise. The perfume filled with the fragrance that she coveted, but it wasn't the perfume that surprised her, it was the lily. Hermione had expected the lily to wilt after it transferred its essence into the perfume bottle. Instead, the lily turned into crystal, and from the desk lamp, Hermione could see a rainbow of light being reflected off of the now crystal petals of the flower. It was then that Hermione realized that the spell that she uttered kept the lily in its physical form.

Whoever this deathereater is, he now thoroughly intrigued Hermione Granger.

* * *

For the first time since joining the Order, Hermione Granger was late to a meeting. The wonderful gift had her wondering all the time away of who her deatheater benefactor was. Ironic wasn't it, deatheater and benefactor, in the same sentence. 

Hermione silently slipped through the cracked door. She shook her head at the carelessness of the other Order member. Here they were, having an important meeting to discuss how to vanquish the Dark Order, and they left the door ajar. Hermione turned and pushed the door closed. Hermione made it to the meeting just in time to hear the end of Harry's speech.

"…happy to announce that I'm pregnant."

Harry's announcement was followed by just that, a very pregnant pause.

"Congratulations Potter, now you're going to be even more famous. Not only are you going to be known as the Boy-Who-Lived, you're also going to be known as First-Man-To-Give-Birth," drawled a smirking Severus Snape.

Harry stared at Snape in confusion until Ginny Weasley, who was standing next to him, slapped him on the head.

Ginny rectified Harry's mistake, "What Harry means is that we're pregnant, and no," she said raising her finger to stop Snape from making another smart aleck comment, "I'm the one who is going to give birth."

"Pity," was Snape's answer.

Everyone else was still silent and staring at the couple until suddenly Fred and George Weasley broke out into song:

_Ginny and Harry sitting in a tree,_

_K-I-S-S-I-N-G,_

_First comes love, _

_Then comes sex,_

_Then comes baby in a baby carriage._

_Ginny and Harry sitting on a bed…_

"Fred! George! Stop it!" interrupted a red-faced Molly Weasley. Hermione could tell that Mrs. Weaslely was thinking about the little rendition of the childhood song that her twin sons were just singing and she clearly disapproved. Ginny and Harry were not married yet, but her youngest daughter was already pregnant; something had to be done quickly.

"Ginerva Weasley! Harry Potter! You better have some explanations," shrieked an extremely angry Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny whispered quickly to Harry, "I told you this wasn't a good idea, we should have told them about the…"

"Mum, what's all the commotion for?" muttered a confused Ron before Hermione could silence him with an elbow in the stomach.

Mrs. Weasley whipped around and stalked toward her youngest son. "What's it all for? What's all the commotion for?! I'll spell it out for you Ron Weasley. Your youngest sister has a sexual relationship with your best friend and is now suffering the consequences of unprotected sexual stupidity at the age of twenty-three. Your baby sister is unmarried and is carrying the unborn child of the soon to be dead Boy-Who-Lived. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named be damned, I'm going to kill him myself."

When revelation struck, Ron turned a ferocious purple, reminiscent of the angered face that Harry had put up with from Vernon Dudley. Face purple, eyes slanted, and hands clenched into fists, Ron twisted to Harry's direction and in the most menacing voice Hermione had every heard come from her childhood friend, spat out "You have to get in line mum, I'm going to kill him first."

Harry and Ginny simultaneously paled as the rest of the Weasley family jumped into the argument about not whether or not tokill Harry but who gets to kill him and how do they kill him.

Harry turned pleading eyes toward Hermione, asking for help, as she was always known as the voice of reason. Realizing Harry and Ginny's chagrin, Hermione took a few steps forward, but before she could utter a single word, a different person cast a spell and voiced his own opinion.

"Silence," cried the unusually unprovoked Remus Lupin, desperately stopping Charlie in the middle of his feeding Harry to an Hungarian Horntail tirade.

"We should hear what Ginny and Harry have to say first. And I have the utmost confidence that Harry will do the honorable thing," Remus emphasized, looking pointedly at his best friend's son.

Harry started, "Actually I was thinking of hiding Ginny and making Hermione my girlfriend."

Every single person turned towards Hermione.

Hermione stood in silent shock.

And all the Weasleys erupted in fury.

Ginny's shriek was heard above the rest, "Harry Potter, you idiot! You weren't supposed to tell them like that. Now they just think you're cheating scum."

"Ginerva Weasley ! What do you mean like that? You actually approve of what that scum is saying?" roared a ferocious Ron.

It was Harry's turn to roar, "SHUT UP! LET US EXPLAIN!"

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Harry, "I feel that the pregnancy has made Ginny vulnerable to Lord Voldemort's attacks. He will destroy everything I love in order to get to me." Harry placed his hand on Ginny's abdomen, "I will not allow him to harm my future wife and my unborn child. So we've devised a plan."

"Ah…I see," Albus Dumbledore said softly, announcing his presence.

"But everyone knows that your girlfriend is Ginny, not Hermione, whose going to believe that…" asked Bill Weasley.

It was at that moment that Hermione realized what Harry and Ginny was suggesting.

"No."

Now, everyone was back staring at Hermione.

"I refuse, absolutely not," Hermione stated looking directly into Harry's eyes.

"But Hermione, think..."

"Harry, you know that I value my dignity and my intelligence above all else. You are asking me to sacrifice both of these things."

As always, Ron was confused, "What's going on? What is Hermione so mad…" Before Ron could finish, Hermione sputtered angrily before walking to the position taking her the furthest away from Harry, which just happened to be right where Snape was sitting.

"What Mr. Potter wants," interrupted Dumbledore, "correct me if I am wrong, is to publicly break up with Ms. Weasley and make a scene that reveals a 'secret relationship' between him and Ms. Granger. Am I correct?"

Harry and Ginny looked stunned. It never stopped surprising Harry how perceptive Dumbledore was.

"You must be mad to think I would agree to this scheme," Hermione retorted.

"Hermione, I love Ginny, and the…"

"I know you love her, but in hiding Ginny, you're going to be putting me in danger. Ginny is pureblooded, I am not. Lord Voldemort is more likely to attack me to prove to the Wizarding World that muggleborns are not meant to live. Being muggleborn is enough reason for the Dark Lord to kill me, attach girlfriend of Harry Potter to my name, I am going to be dead in a _week,_" reasoned Hermione.

Now knowing what Harry and Ginny were planning, Ron was enraged. "There's no way that I'm going to let you put Hermione in that position. I won't let her prance around like a whore pretending to be your girlfriend. I lo-," his impassioned almost completed declaration of love was interrupted by an annoyed Ginny.

"Ronald Weasley, you cannot be putting her in front of your own sister and your unborn niece or nephew," Ginny said sharply. "Besides, I'm sure Hermione will be delighted with the chance to hang around Harry. I mean, she's always been jealous that he's always been mine," Ginny continued unkindly.

"And the claws come out," Fred whispered to George as he watched Hermione's eyes burn with anger.

In a quiet, yet threatening voice Hermione answered "First of all, Harry is not an object to be had. Second of all, I love Harry and Ron as brothers and only brothers, no romance will come out of any one of these relationships."

"Ouch!" whispered George to Fred as he saw Ron go white and then a brilliant shade of red.

Hermione continued, "And third, I will not of my own free will be branded a scarlet woman that Rita Skeeter stated I would in the _Daily Prophet_. I've worked too hard to build my reputation. There is no way in he-"

She was interrupted before she could go into a full on rant, "Hermione, I would never ask something so selfish if I didn't think you could handle it. Think about the unborn child Hermione. I want my child and your god-child to be happy, safe, and have both of his parents. You know how I grew up; I don't want my child growing up in the same manner. Don't ask me to trust any other woman. I would trust no one with this job. I mean, you're Hermione Granger, the only person filled with enough compassion to stand up for house elves."

"Whether or not they wanted it or not," whispered Fred to George.

"Fred," Mrs. Weasley said sharply.

Hermione could not tear her eyes away from Harry's. His green eyes bore into hers, begging and pleading for her to agree. She didn't want to, but everyone else expected her to concur to this ridiculous scheme, well everyone but Ron, who didn't say anything else. So at this moment, Hermione had a revelation: she would always be there to defend house elves, she would always be there to defend the Order, she would always be there to defend Ron, and she would always be there to defend Harry, but not once in her life and most likely there will never be a person to be there to defend her. She knew what she had to do, or rather, she knew what she was expected to do.

The russet haired girl lowered her lashes and put on a small fake smile, "Harry, you had me at god-child," was her answer.

Harry beamed at her, gathered Ginny in his arms, spun her around, while shouting, "I knew she would agree."

Everyone rushed up and surrounded the expecting couple with congratulations and best wishes. Hermione could hear customary questions of "how far along are you" and "do you know what the sex of the baby is" and "do you know whether you're having twins or more." Hermione stood still in her corner looking at this joyous seen, knowing that she should be feeling happy for her best friend.

But at this moment Hermione never felt more alone.

* * *

**Many apologies for this excruciatingly late chapter.**

**I found my inspiration for this story again.**

**Please review. **


	6. Heal

Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…

**Her Treason**

By: Jadia

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Heal

Lucius Malfoy gripped _The Daily Prophet _tightly. His houselves rarely heard their master mutter under his breath, but this early morning, a repeated tirade of "blasphemy, ridiculous,… or is it," was distinctly heard.

The Boy-Who-Lived Once again Falls under the "Charms" of Fame-seeking Viper Hermione Granger

By Rita Skeeter

Deprived of parental love, Harry Potter seeks comfort in the people around him. Mr. Potter is once again trouble by an important decision: Weasley or Granger? No, no…this author isn't talking about a romantic interest in Mr. Ron Weasley. This author is talking about the age old question of a man choosing between a woman and a hussy. This author is trying to describe Mr. Potter's inability to decide between Ms. Ginerva Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger, respectively. It should be easy, right? But , sadly, no…

Just two weeks ago, Mr. Potter was seen accompanying Ms. Weasley on a shopping extravaganza for the upcoming Ministry of Magic Masquerade. Don't worry ladies…Mr. Potter will not exclusively dance with Ms. Weasley…well, as of now, it doesn't seem as though Mr. Potter is interested in Ms. Weasley.

Still, don't get your hopes up ladies. Ms. Hermione Granger has done it once again. She's sunk her filthy paws into our dear savior. This reporter spotted something rather interesting last night that confirms this juicy little piece of gossip.

Harry Potter was seen accompanying Ms. Granger to dinner at _Bloody Tomato, _the newest and most exclusive restaurant. During their little indiscreet rendezvous, the couple was confronted by Ms. Weasley. Flutes of champagne were poured on top of a certain savior's ebony tresses followed by nails raking across a certain witch's face.

It seems as though Ms. Granger has successfully broken up Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley who have been dating since Mr. Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts. Ladies, don't get too excited…Ms. Granger isn't the same mousy girl at Hogwarts, instead she's been ranked as one of the most eligible bachlorettes(although this author has no idea why) by _Wizard's Weekly_.

Is Ms. Granger's old fetish for famous wizards coming back again? If you are an avid reader of my work, you will remember the article that this author wrote about Ms. Granger in her fourth year at Hogwarts. She was toying with the emotions of both Vicktor Krum and Harry Potter. Simultaneously. How does Ms. Granger do it? Love potion, ancient love spell…with Ms. Granger's intelligence, these are all possible. It seems rather unlikely that this girl can attract men without these additional attributes.

One can only hope that Ms. Weasley's nails leaves behind a horrendous scar that keeps Ms. Granger from seducing any other famous wizards after she is done with Mr. Potter.

After reading the article, Lucius Malfoy went pale with anger. In his mind, there was no possible way that Hermione Granger could be in any shape or form romantically involved with Harry Potter. She isn't stupid enough to create a love triangle that can easily escalate to a love quadrangle. Anyone with a brain recognized that Ronald Weasley was interested in Hermione Granger.

Lucius Malfoy snickered, "Too bad, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger is mine."

The dark wizard's anger died away the more he considered his love interest's situation. It had to be bigger than just Harry Potter being interested in Hermione Granger. And no, he wasn't implying that Hermione Granger could never be desirable to Harry Potter. No, no, the girl was intelligent and beautiful; Potter is just too busy with the little Weasley. This has to be a cover up. The Order is hiding something.

Lucius laughed. Nice try, but you can't fool me.

* * *

Hermione arrived back at her own flat. The first thing that popped into her head was a cliché: Home sweet home. Today had been a grueling day. Rita Skeeter's article once again branded her as a scarlet woman and definitely ensured Harry and Ginny's plan of protecting their unborn child.

The russet haired woman made her way to her bathroom. It was time to check on the scratches on her face. She was too tired to check on her battle scars after she arrived back from the _Bloody Tomato_. She grabbed the ointment she knew she was going to need.

Ginny's little display of a scorned woman, in Hermione's opinion, was more than just an act. There was clearly an underlying reason Ginny was overly zealous and vicious in her acting last night. Even Harry wasn't spared.

Hermione looked at her reflection and took off the temporary bandage that she put on the scratches.

She gasped. The scratches didn't seem quite as horrendous last night when she was too emotionally tired to do anything. There were three parallel gouges that ran from the top of her right cheekbone to the corner of her mouth. Hermione tipped hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton pad and ran the pad over her scratches. She hissed in pain. She could have cleaned the wound with her wand, but even as an auror, she still didn't like the feeling of a wand pointed at her, her wand or not. Hermione read the label on the _Sealing all Wounds without Scars and Pain _ointment, she had done this before, but it helped to be meticulous. With a cotton swab, she gently touched her scratch with the ointment and dropped the cotton swab onto the floor in pain. This pain was worse than when she used the hydrogen peroxide.

This should not have happened. Magical ointments always tend to do what their label said. Plus, Hermione had used this ointment before; its healing properties were immaculate. This was strange. Hermione pulled another healing ointment from the cabinet: _Harriet Henderson's No Pain and All Gain Healing Concoction. _This time, she used a cotton swab to take a smaller portion of this mixture and placed it at the top of the scratch.

Hermione expected her skin to heal itself as soon as she placed the concoction on her skin, but instead, the salve intensified the pain that she was feeling in the right cheekbone and it started bleeding.

The brightest witch of the generation knew for a fact that something was wrong. It was no coincidence that two extremely different healing potions would both have adverse effects on her wound. There must be something wrong with the gash itself.

It didn't make sense; the only way this could happen is if the person who gave her the wound did something to prevent the wound to be able to be healed magically. Why would Ginny…

Before Hermione's thoughts could be further, she felt a familiar galleon burn.

"I'll have to investigate later," she muttered to herself.

Hermione Granger slapped good old-fashioned muggle _Neosporin _on her face and a bandage on her face and apparated to the office.

"Good Lord," explained a worried Harry Potter when he saw the bandages on his pseudo-girlfriend's face. "Why haven't you healed yourself yet?"

"I don't like pointing a wand at myself," Hermione answered curtly.

Harry reached forward and whispered, "That's okay, I'll do it right now, as a show of affection."

In a louder voice, "I'll heal it for you right now." Ignoring Hermione's protests, Harry non–too-gently pulled off the bandage and poked the wand in Hermione's wound. Hermione fell to the floor, her body wracked in pain.

Tonks, a spectator, rushed to catch Hermione before she hit the floor.

"Watcher Harry. Did you cast the _Crucio _on her by accident?"

"No," stammered a nervous Harry. "Are you okay Hermione?"

As Hermione sat up, she felt something trickle down the side of her cheek. She lifted her hand and touched her face. Her fingers were stained red.

"Hermione, you're bleeding," supplied Tonks.

"Harry," Hermione ordered, "this wound isn't healing magically, you're going to have to staunch it for me the muggle way."

Harry lifted his wand and conjured a handkerchief out of thin air. He was about to place it on Hermione's wound when she screeched, "The muggle way with muggle tissue, not something that's come from magic."

Tonks and Harry looked around, there was nothing that was completely muggle in the auror office. Everything was magically created or touched by magic.

Hermione sighed, realizing Harry's problem. "Go to my office, there's a box of muggle tissues in the second drawer."

As Hermione staunched her wound with the muggle tissue, she listened to Kingsley Shacklebolt talk about the currently occurring Death Eater raid.

"There's no rhyme or reason to why the deatheaters are attacking Locksley right now," said the balding man, "we have to send forces to stop them right now. You aurors know the drill, if you can, try catching some of the deatheaters alive for questioning. Fight well."

At those words, Hermione saw aurors apparate immediately to Locksley.

Discarding her drenched tissue and bandaging her face for the second time today, she apparated after them.

* * *

Locksley was a strange place for an attack to occur. Lucius knew this, but he was able to convince the Dark Lord to let him lead an attack to this place. For Lucius, it was a convenient place to hold a brief rendezvous with Hermione Granger under the coverage of the forest.

The Dark Lord had been pleased with Lucius' reason as to attack such a magically remote place. What better place to start confusing the Ministry of Magic and the aurors by attacking a place for no strategic reason. It would throw everyone off. Furthermore, a popular, muggle tourist destination being severely damaged would internationally alert the rest of the world that England was experiencing unrest; upheaval that the government was trying to quiet.

These were good reasons, but not enough for the Dark Lord to attack Locksley. Lucius had provided one more: the attack on Locksley, a place that was totally made up of muggles, would strain that already weak relationship between the British muggle government and the Ministry of Magic. This would be another area where the resource straining Ministry would have pay attention to.

Lucius was not among the ranks during this attack. He was on a personal mission, waiting and hunting. But he was spotted and of obvious high rank, he was circled immediately. He toyed with the three aurors that surrounded him. Obviously, they were new and inexperienced. All three aurors had their wands out, pointed straight at him, Lucius chuckled to himself and predicted their move. He mentally counted to three and ducked, all three aurors were writhing on the ground, incapacitated by the consequences of their colleagues spells. If Lucius had been surrounded by Hermione, Harry, and Ron, he wouldn't have gotten away unscathed. He might have even been captured. It was such a shame that he would never been be able to recruit all three people to the Dark Side. It would have been wonderful to work with the Trio. These three young aurors were magnificent working together, a beautifully choreographed dance on the battlefield. They were in tune with each other's needs. For this reason alone, Lucius knew that in order for the Dark Side to have even a remote chance of winning, the Trio would have to be broken up. What better way to break up the Trio by taking their smartest member.

Like a predator, Lucius stalked the battlefield, looking carefully for his chosen prey. He caught a glimpse of russet curls. Hermione Granger had arrived. He saw her wince in pain and immediately recognized the problem as the gashes on her pretty face. He wanted to heal the wounds and prevent scarring immediately, but instead he sent four lower ranked deatheaters after the girl. He knew he was putting his future counterpart in danger, but Lucius was on a mission to test his theory. Even Hermione Granger couldn't handle four deatheaters by herself. As soon as the deatheaters attacked Hermione, the four deatheaters that had their eye on Ginny Weasley attacked the auburn haired girl.

Lucius looked at the scene in front of him, interested in how it would play out. Who would be saved first? The already injured Hermione Granger or the blood traitor Ginny Weasley. From his vantage point Lucius noticed that Harry Potter, seeing Hermione's problem started towards her, but as soon as he caught sight of Ginny in the middle of four deatheaters, Harry immediately reversed his direction to aid Ginny Weasley.

Lucius mused aloud, "Interesting behavior for someone who claims to have dumped Ginny Weasley in favor of Hermione Granger."

The deatheater continued to watch. Although most people that were suspected to be part of the Order of Phoenix saw that Hermione was also in danger, they immediately gravitated to help Ginny Weasley, leaving Hermione to fend for herself.

Lucius was both delighted and disgusted simultaneously. His theory about Hermione being a decoy girlfriend had been correct. But he was disgusted at how no one rushed to help Hermione in the midst of the battle when Ginny was clearly sufficiently protected. Oh well, as soon as Hermione realizes that, she'll start to resent the Light.

With that, Lucius shot the Dark Lord's signature into the sky and signaled for the deatheaters to end their combat.

He had to get the four deatheaters away from Hermione Granger before they ended up killing her.

* * *

Hermione was cold. She had been lying on the ground for half of an hour, unable to move because of a broken leg and two broken ribs.

"Toughen up Hermione," she ordered herself. "The pain will be over in a second."

The brave woman took a bit her lip to prepare herself for the pain. She apparated with a huge crack and was at her chosen destination.

Before she could let out a small cry for help, she heard something that made her heart shatter.

"Everyone from the Order is accounted for Professor Dumbledore," stated Harry Potter.

"Everyone? All 23 people?" questioned Dumbledore.

"All 23, if you're counting my unborn baby."

"Harry, including the baby, it would be 24."

"Ron, Tonks, Remus, Ginny, the baby…" Harry continued to listed off the people in the order.

"You ass," cried an indignant Ron, "you forgot about Hermione."

Hermione, in her mind, whispered a small "thank you" to Ron. She bit her lip and prepared herself for another dose of pain and apparated to her bed in her apartment.

She landed right where she wanted: her bed; but it still didn't diminish the pain that was coursing through her body. She should have apparated herself to St. Mungo's, but with all the random deatheater attacks, she didn't want to burden the hospital.

Hermione heard at pop and saw the concerned faces of Harry and Ron staring down at her.

"Hermione, why didn't you apparate back to the office?" questioned Harry.

"I wanted to be home."

"You have a least a broken leg. You need to be healed," Ron surveyed while pulling his wand out.

"No, do-," but the warning came too late and Hermione's body was wracked in pain.

"Don't use magic on me, you louse," cried Hermione through gritted teeth.

"What's wrong with her Harry?"

"I don't know, I tried to heal the scratches on her cheek earlier today, but couldn't-"

"Both of you, just leave."

Harry protested, "But Hermione-"

"Leave."

"At least let us set your leg for you," said Ron.

"NO. You two have done enough, I can take care of myself."

"You can't even move, let alone,"

"LEAVE NOW," cried a frustrated Hermione. In a calmer voice she continued, "I'm sorry, but I'm not the smartest witch of our generation for nothing." She gave the two boys a weak smile and a nod of encouragement, "I'll be fine."

Harry and Ron shared a dubious look. But, they knew that there was no reasoning with Hermione at this point. Being helpless, they apparated. As soon as the boys left, Hermione raised her arm and set the most powerful wards that she could summon with her remaining strength. No one would be able to disturb her.

Hermione's body was wracked in pain, but her emotionally state was even more unstable than her physical state. It saddened her that after more than a decade of friendship with Harry and Ron, she would never be top three in their lives. For Harry, number one and two was obviously shared by Ginny and the unborn baby, number three was Ron, and apparently she wasn't even number four on the list because he didn't even notice that she was missing from the Order count. For Ron, this was where it was complicated. At times, Ron made her feel and though she was the only thing that mattered in his life, but when push came to shove, his family, the Weasley brood would always come first.

The young auror curled up in a fetal position. It didn't lessen her pain at all because of her broken ribs, but Hermione needed this, the physically pain worsened to a point where she couldn't think about her problems with Harry and Ron. This distraction was what she needed. She gritted her teeth.

"Who's going to save me now?" was the last thought that flashed in Hermione's mind before she fell into a black oblivion of restless sleep.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy found his future Mrs. Lucius Malfoy in a pitiful state. Curled in an awkward fetal position because of her broken leg, she made a sorry sight that caused Lucius' heart to clench. The gouges in her cheek seemed to be worse than what he had observed in the heat of battle. They were freely bleeding over the low cotton thread count sheets that served as her bedding and had already bloodied the right portion of her glorious russet curls.

The blonde deatheater took of his gloves. With his bared long fingers, he reached for a blood matted curl that was partially pressed to the gouges. Hermione moaned in pain when the curl was removed from the scratch, apparently the slightest movement caused pain.

Lucius let go of the curl and placed it well away from her gouges and reached for his wand. He cast a simple diagnostic over her body and was startled as Hermione's back arched with immense pain. Nevertheless, Lucius kept his wand over her body even though he desperately wanted to get relieve Hermione of her pain; he needed to know what was wrong with her before he could fix the source of her pain. The diagnostic spell revealed that Hermione was suffering from two broken ribs, a broken leg, bruises over her entire body, and the gouges on her cheek. This seemed like something that Hermione, St. Mungo's, or Madame Pomfrey could have easily fixed for her. So why wasn't she alright? Hermione is the brightest witch, why wouldn't she heal herself. There must have been something else that this simple diagnostic charm wasn't telling him.

Lucius went into her bathroom and grabbed a clean wash cloth. The spell that he would perform on her was painful for a person who was healthy, let alone for someone that was injured. He quickly folded the wash cloth and nudged Hermione's mouth open so he could put the towel in her mouth. This would prevent her from biting on her tongue or choking herself to death. Lucius, once again, raised his wand and cast a powerful spell that reveals dark magic or anything that was magically harmful.

The spell revealed that there was dark magic prevent Hermione from healing. The incantation unveiled a sphere of dark magic surrounding the gouges on Hermione's face; the dark magic was specifically from a potion. Lucius had encountered this particular potion before; it was relatively easy to brew, but extremely time consuming. _Ingurgito visvus _was a potion that can only be brewed by purebloods. If anyone else tried to use it, the potion would be useless. To use this potion, the pureblood utilizing it would dip whatever weapon in the potion, attack their victim, and slowly degenerate Hermione's flesh.

Lucius snorted. Ginny Weasley must have been extremely desperate or insecure in order to lace her fingernails with this potion that took six months of careful stirring and brewing.

"Hermione Granger, you're lucky that I know how to brew the antidote," muttered the deatheater.

As brewing the poison was extremely slow, brewing the antidote was extremely quick, just extremely expensive. Luckily, what Lucius Malfoy had was money.

Lucius did not envy the healing process that Hermione would go through. He would not be able to treat her ribs and her legs with magic until the flesh grew back on her cheeks. It would be more painful than re-growing bones.

Lucius Malfoy summoned a house elf and had it gather and purchase everything he needed to make the potion: dragon's blood, unicorn horn, griffin feather, pollen from purple orchids, and number of other expensive and exotic potions ingredients.

As the house elf disappeared with a crack, Hermione woke up and moaned in pain. Her eyes gradually became clear and she scooted herself to the edge of the bed, as far away as she could get from the deatheater without falling off.

"How did you get past the wards?" Hermione gasped through her pain.

"Hermione, rest. You're hurt. Let me take care of you." replied an uncharacteristic gentle, yet familiar, voice.

"Why would you want to help-" she was cut off as a searing pain went through her abdomen. It felt as though someone dropped a dragon on her and had a troll squeeze the air out of her lungs.

"You're suffering from the affects of _Ingurgito viscus. _I believe Ginny Weasley did this to you. Tell me, Hermione, did you try to seduce Harry Potter? For the very first time, are Rita Skeeter's article's true?"

Hermione ignored the question. If she denied a seduction she would be betraying the Order and Harry.

Instead she wheezed, "Wards? Identity?"

"Don't change the subject Hermione Granger. I am an extremely jealous man who guards everything that is mine. I am claiming you as mine. You are mine," replied the masked man in a tightly controlled possessive voice.

Relaxing slightly, he continued, "We have mated wands. The wards you set up don't apply to me."

Lucius took a hold of her arms and gently moved her so she wasn't in danger of falling off the bed.

"In time, you will find out who I am."

He stroked a finger over her uninjured cheek.

The masked man bent down to a motionless Hermione.

"Now, you will go to sleep."

He brushed hair from her eyes.

He bent even closer to the immobile woman.

"I will take care of you. Take away everything hurting you. Heal you," he whispered gently into her ear.

His breathe on her neck was like a lover's warm caress.

His teeth caught her ear and gently nipped.

"That was payback."

Payback? For what?

Right before Hermione fell into a healing sleep, she remembered.

She had bitten him on the battle field.

Hermione smiled.

* * *

**This was long overdue...**

**Most sincere apology...**

**For hopes of faster updates, I suggest that you pray for the muses to hit me on the head with their wands...but that might cause brain damage...so maybe ask for them to sprinkle inspiration dust when I'm sleeping!**

-Jadia

* * *


	7. Masquerade

Disclaimer: I relinquish all holds to the characters of the story. The only thing I can take credit to is the plot line…

**Her Treason**

By: Jadia

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Masquerade

Hermione Granger woke up extremely comfortable. As she blinked away her sleepiness, she realized that something was extremely strange.

Had it been a dream that she had a broken leg and two broken ribs?

She gingerly lifted a hand to her abdomen. No pain. It couldn't have been just a dream; the pain was so very real.

Something else was also off…but what?

Hermione looked around her and immediately realized what was wrong. She wasn't in her own bed. This was getting stranger by the minute. She was in her own room, yet, she wasn't in her own bed.

The russet haired girl's original bed consisted of a basic narrow mattress with practical cotton sheets. To the casual observer, the large room seemed to dwarf the small bed even further. But this wasn't what she was currently laying on.

Hermione had been sleeping on king sized canopy bed. The bed was completed with mint green silk sheets and a matching embroidered duvet. Gone was the practical bedding, it had all been replaced by extravagant, beautiful, and most of all, comfortable sheets. The mattress that she was lying on felt like cloud. The drapes around the canopy were a sheer mint green that complemented the mahogany bed frame. Any designer would have been pleased with how easily the colors of Hermione's new bed fit in her chic bedroom. When Hermione had moved into her bedroom, she spent the least amount of money on her bed knowing that she wouldn't be sleeping in it very often. That was going to change.

Hermione was about to completely accept her new bed until she realized that she had no idea where it had come from. Well, not entirely any idea. She certainly didn't purchase these things, and the lavishness of her new bed suggested extreme affluence and style.

She looked around and found what she was looking for.

At the foot of her bed, there was a note written in a familiar masculine script placed on top of a big box. Eagerly, she leaned forward to grab the note.

**I will lavish you with everything…**

Hermione smiled and brought the box towards her. Then she stopped…this was from a deatheater. How could she accept this?

Hermione held the box away from her. But, her feminine instincts had started to take over. She liked the feeling of someone taking whole hearted care of her. She was being taken care of for a change. She had never experienced this before.

The curly haired girl decided to let her guards down for a second. It was nice being pampered. From her mysterious benefactor's previous gifts and actions, he didn't seem to want to cause harm to her. Hermione brought the closer to her and lifted the lid. She pushed away the tissue paper and revealed something spectacular.

Inside the box was the most extravagant dress that she had every seen.

The man was not joking when he wrote that he wanted to lavish her with everything.

Of all of the gifts that she had received, this was probably the least expensive one. The Morgan La Fay diary and spell book was no doubt an heirloom, indicating that whoever the benefactor was came from a very old family. The perfume indicated intelligence. The bed showed that he was adamant that she have comfort. But this dress, this dress said all of this and more.

This gown was breathtaking. It was an exquisite creation of shimmering, dark silver with a modestly round cut neckline and thick silk braided shoulder straps. The gown was cut from one piece of silk and would flow down to her feet. This dress seemed conservative enough, compared to many other dresses that she had seen in previous ministry balls, that is, until she turned it around. The back of the dress would plunge down to leave her back completely bare. As her Hermione examined all elements of the dress, the dim lighting of her bedroom caused the crystal encrusted fabric to vibrantly sparkle.

Just the choice of the dress told Hermione that the man knew her pretty well. The dress he had chosen was something that people would not expect her to wear and something that she would have lusted after, but would never had the nerve to purchase herself. The deatheater knew her tastes even though she didn't act according to her own desires.

He was giving her just that, what she desired.

It was strange for Hermione to think about a deatheater and feel fondness. Of course, she had considered that the only reason that the man had come close to her was to get to Harry. But, that didn't seem to be the case anymore since, whoever, the man was knew her more intimately than her two best friends knew her.

Hermione also recognized a display of possessiveness from this gift. The man obviously wanted her to wear the gown to the upcoming Ministry Masquerade.

Hermione mused, "Shrewd man. He's gotten my attention with all these gifts. And now, he wants to approach me at the ball. He'll know who I am, but I won't have a clue of who he is."

She considered for a moment to not where the dress to the masquerade and gift it to someone else. This way she could be a removed observer and try to guess who the man was. But her femininity would not allow her to relinquish such a beautiful creation.

Hermione turned her attention back to the gift box. The dress was not the only present that she had received. Inside was a pair of dark silver heels with delicate charcoal colored embroidery. In addition to the shoes was a demi-mask. There was no way, that Hermione saw, to keep the mask from slipping off her face. Hermione knew that this was not an oversight. She simply assumed that the mask would magically adhere to her face on the night of the masquerade. The demi-mask matched the gown and the heels that she had received. It had a combination of the crystals that were found on the gown and the embroidery on her shoes. The mask was designed so that everything from the top of her hairline to the nose was covered, leaving the chin, but especially the lips free to talk or engage in other activities...

Hermione blushed.

She remembered the warm lingering breathe on her neck as he told her he would take care of her. She remembered the feeling of his teasing teeth on her ear right before she fell into the mending sleep.

Hermione delved into the box once again and drew out the last item. She drew out a velvet box. Hermione held her breath as she opened it. Inside was a gorgeous tennis bracelet. As she held up the bracelet into the light, the flawless diamonds caught fire. Unable to resist, Hermione slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. This man had magnificent taste. The bracelet emphasized Hermione's slim and graceful wrist.

The deatheater, whoever he was, had taken care of every single detail of her masquerade wardrobe. Most people attending masquerades tended to wear costume-like outfits, she preferred not to, and this man had taken careful consideration in his choices.

The masquerade ensemble had clearly been chosen to enhance her natural beauty.

This time, Hermione would choose to indulge the masked man's wishes.

* * *

The current residence of the Dark Lord was extremely dark. What Lord Voldemort claimed as his inner sanctum, where he held one on one meetings with his top deatheaters, was the most sinister place in the castle. Lord Voldemort had reclaimed his ancestral home; the castle had Salazar Slytherin built from the ground up to house his family. The castle that Slytherin specifically built for his family's protection was a labyrinth. There were passages that led to nowhere. But most importantly, there were passages that led to traps.

Lucius cautiously walked down the dimly lit corridor that led to the hidden passageway to the Dark Lord's inner sanctum. Every footstep echoed eerily on the ancient stones. Many unsuspecting intruders had been captured by the castle's labyrinth and magic. Only the most astute were able to safely navigate around this fortress. Hogwarts was child's play in comparison to the Slytherin sanctuary. That was why only the deatheaters of the inner circle was even allowed in the castle. There was no point for the Dark Lord to kill the troops that would be fighting for him.

Yes, it was risk for the Dark Lord to have to leave the safety of the castle to address and motivate his ranks. But if all the deatheaters were allowed to roam free around this castle, the Dark Order would have no troops. Plus, the fewer people who knew the current location of Lord Voldemort, the better.

The passageways were beginning to become more familiar. The Dark Lord's sanctum was in the very heart of the castle. As the inner sanctum drew near, the castle slowly transformed into a place where people lived; there were portraits of members of the Slytherin family that lined the walls. Lucius stopped right in from of a nondescript painting of one of Salazar Slytherin's lesser known great grandchildren. The boy with emerald eyes looked directly at Lucius, but Lucius' attention was not on the boy, but on the red and charcaol viper that was coiled on the boy's neck.

Lucius sighed as he put his bare finger directly on the snake's eyes. A second passed until he felt two sharp pricks on his finger and then the portrait swung open, revealing a secret staircase that led downwards. The portrait that had allowed Lucius access to the stairway was extremely interesting. When Salazar Slytherin commissioned this painting of his great grandson, the viper on the boy's shoulder had been white and jet black. He had ordered for the pupils of the snake to be cut out of the painting. Out of the pupils came fangs from a snake that born from Salazar's familiar. Whoever the master of the castle would be able to choose the individuals who had access to the staircase, the individual along with the master of the castle would have to relinquish a drop of blood to the snake. In the split second that the fangs were in Lucius' finger, it determined whether or not he had been given permission by the Dark Lord to enter the staircase. All those who were not allowed in the stairwell were given a small injection of a lethal poison. Over the centuries, the jet black on the snake had faded to a dark charcoal, a testament to the number of people who were given an injection of poison. The white on the viper had turned into a blood red, telltale of the number of people who had donated blood to enter the inner sanctum. Salazar's genius made the inner sanctum impenetrable.

The deatheater made his way down the flight of stairs with only his wand as a guide. As he reached another door, this time he merely whispered a password to the snake engraving.

"Lucius, to what do I owe this wonderful pleasure?" hissed Lord Voldemort who was lounging in a huge chair.

Lucius reached the throne-like seating and knelt down on one knee.

"I have a proposition, my Lord."

The Dark Lord stared at the pureblood in front of him.

"Rise Lucius, and take off your mask. There are only two of us in here."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Continue. Tell me your proposition," ordered He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Lucius explained, in detail, what he wanted to do at the Ministry of Magic Masquerade. The Dark Lord nodded in appreciation at his subject's genius, but had one question.

"Lucius, why do you seem overly interested in Potter's mudblood?" questioned the insightful Dark Lord.

"My Lord, that girl is the reason why Harry Potter continues to escape with his life hanging by the thread. The Golden Trio is only alive because she is intelligent, yet she in under appreciated by the Order of the Phoenix and the media. Take away their brain, the body will suffocate."

The Dark Lord careful considered Lucius' answer.

"Hermione Granger is only the brain of the Golden Trio. The rest of the Order is under the watchful eye of Dumbledore. Wouldn't Dumbledore step in to take Granger's place after she is eliminated?"

Lucius stopped for a second, "Eliminated? No, no…Hermione Granger will join the our Order. She could become a second spy. Harry Potter does not trust Dumbledore as much as he trusts his Golden Girl. Dumbledore placed baby Potter in the care of the Dursely's knowing he wouldn't be loved and had Snape teach his Occulemency."

"Join us, you say?" Lord Voldemort's interest had been peaked. "I don't see how that is possible. The girl who advocates for the freedom of house elves joining us?"

Lucius put simply, but arrogantly, "She's intrigued by me, my Lord. Besides, on our side, she gets power and well deserved recognition."

Lord Voldemort let out a bark of laughter, "By you? My dear Lucius, why would _you _want her to be interested in you?"

"She is power, my Lord."

"But she's a mudblood," countered the Dark Lord.

"She is more intelligent and powerful than all the purebloods in her class put together," Lucius paused for dramatic effect. "She possesses the other _wand_."

Lord Voldemort's slit eyes widened considerably, he had known about the prophecy regarding the Malfoy family and the now known girl.

"She has it?"

"Yes."

The Dark Lord looked at the man in front of him. He would need Lucius and his future consort if he wanted to win the war. Should Lucius defect to the Light Order, he would have no chance of surviving. But with Hermione Granger on his side, a combination of intelligence and power, the Dark Order would be unstoppable.

The silence that fell between the two powerful wizards was comfortable.

"Isn't she dating Harry Potter?"

"Sir, the Order is hiding something. She is not dating Potter."

Lord Voldemort drawled, "How are you so sure? You have that much confidence in your abilities to romance?"

Lucius chuckled. "I'm confident. What girl wouldn't be infatuated by a man who sends them thousands of galleons worth of presents?"

The Dark Lord looked at his right hand man.

"Started the wooing already? Isn't that a bit premature, with Narcissa still warming your bed?"

"That cold fish? No, nothing since Draco was conceived. Besides, remember the attack on Locksley? I sent an equal amount of deatheaters after Granger and the little Weaslette simultaneously. Granger was already hurt, but all of the members of the Phoenix gravitated toward the red head. They are covering something. I am positive."

Lord Voldemort filed that piece of information away. He would have to ask Severus if he knew anything. But even if the Potions Master didn't know, Hermione Granger would tell him once she was inducted into the Dark Order.

"By the way, how is Draco doing?"

That question wasn't asked lightly. Draco Malfoy had an extremely special assignment.

"He's excellent."

That was all Lord Voldemort needed to know everything was going as planned.

"Lucius, Severus came earlier with a different proposal. He wanted to kill Remus Lupin; take away Harry Potter's last parental figure."

The blonde deatheater snorted.

"Why do you do that?" questioned the man whose hands were occupied by stroking Nagini.

"It's not very Slytherin to propose that. Attacking Remus Lupin is fool's play. You would only incense Potter and make him more determined to bring us down. I also think Severus has an agenda; revenge on old schoolmates for a prank."

"But he could argue that you have an agenda to get closer to Hermione Granger," the Dark Lord pointed out.

"My Lord, my agenda also compliments your agenda."

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nodded. "I was originally going to order Severus' plan, but now, your plan is better. It is, how would you put it, very Slytherin; Hermione Granger coming to our side. Of course, it'll take time, but the blow will be devastating. Severus will not be told of the plan ahead of time, that way he wouldn't be obligated to tell Dumbledore. The fewer people who know about the prophecy, the better."

Lucius smirked; his plan had been chosen over Snape's plan definitely elevated his position as the Dark Lord's right hand man even more. The Dark Lord still had implicit trust in Snape, but that would change very soon.

The Dark Lord declared one word.

"Proceed."

* * *

The day of the Ministry of Magic Masquerade ha d finally arrived. While all the other woman that had received an exclusive invitation had already put in hours of long preparation for the ball, Hermione Granger was found in the library, a mere three hours prior to the ball.

It wasn't that Hermione Granger didn't care for her appearance. She was more interested in "mated wands." She had never heard of such of thing.

Hermione had searched through the countless volumes in the library, but all she found about wands was what she had already known: the wand chooses the wizard; magical cores of wands; traditions on making wands; and breaking wands. She was getting frustrated. There had been no mention of mated wands anywhere. The closest thing to mated wands was what was called _priori incantatem_, the phenomenon where brother wands could not be used against one another.

The exasperated researcher threw down her quill. She had bought a new bottle of ink and rolls and rolls of parchment paper for this research project. Yet, she had not written down a single word.

Hermione looked down at her watch and groaned. If she wanted to make a decent appearance at the masquerade she would have to leave now.

The curly-haired girl didn't know the elegant beauty that she possessed. She felt certain that no matter how much time she put into her appearance, she would always fall short to other girls, so she decided not to waste all that time sitting in front of a mirror.

Hermione apparated back to her flat and took out the outfit that had already been chosen for her.

The best part of receiving the gift was that she was able to decline Ginny and Lavendar's invitations to go shopping. Hermione was the type of girl who was in and out of the dress shop extremely quickly. She didn't have the patience or the time to sift through and try hundreds of gowns. Plus, she really didn't want to spend time with Ginny. Ginny had proved to be vindictive and jealous when she sunk so low to potentially scar Hermione's face.

As Hermione mindlessly pulled on the dress, her thoughts reverted to the mated wands.

"What exactly are they?"

She remembered the red glow when the deatheater had touched his wand to hers.

She obviously wasn't going to get her answer in the library. Hermione would have to go to her last resort: back to Ollivander to ask if the wand maker had any idea mated wands were.

Hermione put on a robe to protect her dress as she applied makeup and played with her hair.

"Is there another source I can ask?"

She could approach Dumbledore, but for some strange reason, her instincts were telling her not to. Years of dragged into dangerous situations were Harry, she had learned to trust and hone her natural instinct.

Hermione looked in the mirror and sighed.

"This is the best that it's going to get."

Hermione turned her thoughts back her wand.

"There's a rather obvious person that I could ask," Hermione mused to herself.

Her thoughts had turned to the deatheater.

"He is going to be there tonight. I could always just ask him."

Hermione lifted her dress and carefully slipped a wand holster onto her thigh. She carefully examined herself in a full length mirror to see if her wand holster and wand were visible. The wand holster was completely discreet and there was no way to see her wand since it was placed on her inner thigh.

She had considered not taking her wand, but one could never be too careful.

Just as Hermione slipped on her new tennis bracelet, her door bell rang.

"Just a moment," she called out.

After a quick spray of the Lily of the Valley perfume, she slipped on her shoes and opened the door to reveal a very dressed up Harry Potter. Harry had dressed in traditional wizarding robes that were complete with a silver bowtie that complimented Hermione's dress.

"You look gorgeous, Hermione. Ron's going to have a field day."

"You don't look too bad yourself, even though you look quite Slytherin," returned Hermione, commenting on the silver bowtie and Harry's emerald eyes. She tactfully ignored his second comment.

"My lady love, shall we go?"

"Yes, my lord," replied Hermione, playing her role.

Hermione knew that Harry's mop of black hair was extremely recognizable and thanks to the article in the _Daily Prophet, _she would not have her coveted secret identity.

The pair arrived at the Masquerade late, but Hermione's nerves started. She had been to these events before, but this time there was something different. Someone was there, wanting her, watching her. All the other times that _he _came to her was unexpected, but this time, she was ready for him.

Although Hermione was always one to be on time, the Order had planned for this uncharacteristic late arrival. Hermione and Harry were to make a grand entrance. The whole point was to dispel any ongoing rumors of a relationship between Ginny and Harry. Their masquerade suited the Order's plans to reveal the once clandestine relationship between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger.

As they were about to make their way down the grand staircase into the ballroom, the announcer asked how they wanted their presence to be announced.

Usually most couples would choose to announce a real or fictional romantic couple, such as Romeo and Juliet, Isis and Osiris, or Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.

But as the pair made their way down the staircase into the room dripping with chandeliers, the announcer called out, "Presenting Mr. Harry Potter and Miss. Hermione Granger."

The entire room stopped.

As the room turned to the couple, the buzzing chatter melted into a complete silence.

There were two main reasons for this silence. First, the relationship between Harry Potter and Hermione Granger was definitely ongoing. Second, Hermione Granger was ravishing.

"Harry, their staring…a lot."

"That's part of the plan, isn't it?" Harry, giving Hermione an indulging smile.

"But not that much," stated Hermione, whose cheeks had gone extremely red under her mask.

Harry played the role of a pampering boyfriend well as he lifted Hermione's fingers to his lips while he said, "Their staring at their little bookworm and finally realizing what a beauty she has become.

In the audience, Ginny Weasley seethed at Harry's display of affection.

Ron Weasley reddened at the sight of Hermione.

Lucius Malfoy stiffened at the ruckus his future wife's beauty had caused.

"Harry, stop it! Save it for Ginny!"

"Shush love, remember, I'm supposed to be devastatingly in love with you," Harry smiled mischievously. Harry had a second motive, perhaps with this display, Ron would finally tell him that he was in love with Hermione. Perhaps now, Ron would be so brimming with jealously that he might work up the nerve to ask her out.

"Dance with me. Let's show there wizards how people from the muggle world move." ordered Harry.

"But-"

Harry interrupted, "For the baby?"

Hermione could only give in.

As Harry twirled Hermione around the room, Hermione couldn't help but think that they were doing the muggle world of dancing an injustice. In other words, Harry lacked grace. One would think that a skilled seeker and auror would move with an elegant ease, but apparently Harry didn't as he kept stepping on Hermione's toes.

Lucius observed the dancing pair from afar, wincing slightly at Hermione's predicament. The music that Hermione and Harry were dancing to rolled to a stop, as Lucius was about to make his way toward his intended, his sharp eyes saw Ron Weasley ten feet from the pair. He looked determined to have the next dance with Hermione. Lucius felt pity for Hermione's feet. The Weasley's, unlike other pureblood families, provided no social grace instruction to their progeny, of course, they couldn't afford it.

Lucius chuckled as he saw Ron try to cut in. Although Ron Weasley was in his mid-twenties, he still possessed the strange gawkiness that would be characteristic on a boy just going through puberty. Lucius decided to let the youngest Weasley male have one dance with his intended before he would whisk her away.

To any observer, it was quite obvious that Ron was quite smitten with Hermione, as he started pulling her body closer to his.

"Hermione?" Ron started tentatively.

"Yes?"

"After, you know, this whole charade with Harry is over, w-would you l-li-ike to g-go out w-with me?" stammered Ron.

"Calm down Ron, I didn't catch the last part of what you said," Hermione replied.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" Ron stated this time, rather loudly, startling the dancing couples around them.

Hermione went red and her eyes softened apologetically, "I-"

The music had stopped and right when she was about to reject his advance, a tall man that moved with such elegance intercepted Hermione's hand and cut in.

As the strange man whirled Hermione around in the dance, Hermione mouthed, "sorry" to the now lonely Ron Weasley.

The man who stole her away from Ron pulled Hermione extremely close to him.

He bent his head so his mouth was right next to her ear, and whispered intimately "You fit perfectly into my arms."

Hermione recognized the voice at once.

She found her voice, "This is certainly very daring of you."

"I love to court danger, especially when danger looks as gorgeous as you."

Hermione blushed, "Thank you for the my ensemble tonight. It saved me a great deal of distress."

"My pleasure."

"You mean my pleasure," retorted a bold Hermione.

The man behind the mask smiled.

The pair danced silently for a few moments, just relishing each other's company.

Hermione's mind started to wander.

She couldn't stop the words from flowing out of her mouth, "Who _are _you?"

He looked at her, "Patience love, you will know in time."

Hermione's insides tingled at the endearment. It was strange. When anyone tried to use endearments on her, she would feel uncomfortable, yet when this man, a man who she didn't even know his name or age called her "love," she enjoyed.

Wait, she didn't know his name or his age.

Lucius felt the masked woman in front of him start to panic as her fingers clenched tightly around his arm.

"Calm down," he whispered in a soothing voice.

"I can't calm down, I don't know a thing about you, yet I'm so intrigued," Hermione managed to spit out. The man's arm tightened around her waist in a comforting manner. "Just answer me this, you're not older than Dumbledore are you?"

Lucius chuckled. Instead of a verbal response, he pulled the petite woman towards him so that her feminine curves where molded to his masculine length. His hand slowly caressed the skin of her exposed back.

"Does that answer your question?" smiled the opportunist.

Hermione inhaled sharply, feeling the contrast between their bodies, so different, yet a perfect fit. The intimate heat of his hand on the small of her back sent shivers up her spine. She had never in her life felt so comfortable with a man.

Lucius continued to twirl the woman in his arms around. They made a magnificent sight , especially with their matching robes.

Hermione looked up at the ever masked man. She opened her mouth, and then closed it.

"You have questions," Lucius remarked pointedly.

She nodded.

At that, Lucius lead Hermione towards the French doors that opened to a magical garden. As they reached the doors, waiters popped up to offer every single guest a glass of Elvin wine, extremely rare and expensive. Hermione shook her head at the heady drink and Lucius declined it with a dismissing wave.

The pair walked to the lake and across the small pier that led to a beautiful white gazebo in the middle of the lake. They had complete privacy.

"I know you won't tell me who you are, but answer me this: what are the mated wands?"

"I expected that question," the masked man let go of Hermione's hand and turned to face the almost waning moon. "I suspect that you haven't found any books on the subject?"

"You're quite right," replied Hermione in a gentle voice as she moved to stand next to the deatheater.

Lucius pulled off his gloves and took Hermione's hands.

"The prophecy of the mated wands has been part of my family for centuries. It spoke of an heir that would have eventually participate in a unbreakable and nontraditional marriage to a powerful woman," Lucius slowly moved his hands up Hermione's bare arms as he spoke in a hushed tone.

"Centuries? That means you have to be pureblood," whispered Hermione.

"You're quite right," said the masked man in a teasing tone.

"Tell me more," the little witch demanded as she looked directly into the deatheater's eyes.

Lucius cocked his head, "For a price."

"W-what do you want?" stammered a now nervous Hermione.

"A kiss."

Hermione smirked, "You've already had two."

"Three, actually."

Hermione gave him a questioning look, "Sir, I remember all the kisses I have received."

"Hmmm…it was after I healed you, you were asleep. You seemed to enjoy it."

Hermione flushed a dark pink at the glib comment before adding, "Then I've already satisfied your demands."

"No. My price is a proper kiss that you initiate."

The young auror weighed her options. Information for the first kiss she would ever freely give. She observed the man who was standing calmly in front of her. She could find no fault, of what she could see, in his physique. He was obviously intelligent and witty. Right there, Hermione made her choice.

As he was taller than he, Hermione had to grasp the man's arms in order to tiptoe to reach his lips without falling over. As she tilted her face up to his, the dratted man made no move to help steady her; clearly he was serious about her doing the initiating. When her lips were a mere centimeter from his, she asked, "You know that you're about to receive my first freely given kiss?"

"Yes," their breathes mingled, "But, being the smartest witch Hogwarts has ever seen, I expect to receive a _proper _kiss."

Hermione knew what he meant. When her lips touched his, her body became flushed with pleasure and power. Proper kiss, that's what he wanted, well that's what he'll get. Hermione titled her head and ran her tongue gingerly across his bottom lip, begging for entrance. Lucius obliged, but how could he not? Their tongues danced together, wrestling; it started as a gentle kiss and slowly became a kiss filled with passion and desire. Hermione felt the man's arms tense up, as if to prevent his arms from going around her; she wanted to break his control, so she teasingly nipped his bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue.

Lucius' control slipped at her wanton display and he wrenched his arms out of her grasp and caused her to topple forward, right into his embrace. His now bare hands roamed across the expanse of her smooth back.

As the couple broke apart, Hermione coyly lowered her eyelashes and asked, "Does that count as a proper kiss?"

"God, yes!"

They stood in silence, just savoring the presence of the other person.

Hermione broke the silence reluctantly, "We should be getting back for the midnight unveiling."

"You're right."

But neither moved.

"If our wands are mated, does that mean that we have to…" Hermione blushed at the thought.

Lucius moved his hands from the back to grasp Hermione's left hand. He brought the hand to his lips and kissed her ring finger.

"I'll send you a tome, and you can read all you want about what is to happen between the two of us."

With that, he lead her back to the masquerade.

Hermione noticed, with pleasure, that he kept one hand on the small of her back the entire time.

* * *

Hermione found the still masked Harry right before the last stroke of midnight. It was a tradition as wizard masquerades for everyone to unveil their identities with the partner that they came with at midnight. Hermione had hoped that the masked man would reveal his identity to her this very night, but as soon as they reached the ballroom, the elusive man disappeared on her.

"Hermione, come here!" cried an excited Harry.

As they counted down to midnight, couples faced their partners. All of the masks magically melted away at the stroke of midnights.

Expecting joy of Harry's face, Hermione was surprised to see shock, anger, and rage flicker across his face in one second.

"Bellatrix Lestrange…"

Hermione found herself facing the end of Harry Potter's wand.

"What have you done to Hermione?" demanded the Boy-Who-Lived.

Hermione was confused. "Harry, what do you mean? It's me, Hermione!"

"How very daring of you, Bellatrix." Dumbledore had arrived. "You seem to have forgotten that all masks melt away during a masquerade. Even if you took polyjuice; that identity would vanish at the stroke of midnight."

"Professor, what are you talking about? This isn't funny!" Hermione was becoming very afraid. She was not Bellatrix Lestrange!

Soon, Hermione found herself surrounded by the wands of the Order of the Phoenix and aurors. She couldn't reach for her own wand without inciting an attack from the people that encircled her.

She started to get hysterical, "It's me! Harry, Ron, I'm Hermione Granger, remember the troll during Halloween, that's how we became friends!"

Ron came forward, "What have you done with Hermione Granger, you crazy bitch?! Where is she." He pushed her. Hermione had to turn her face away from Ron's harsh expression. As she twisted her body to avoid Ron's wand, she came face to face with a pale-faced Neville Longbottom.

"Neville, you believe me, don't you? I helped you in Potions!"

But Neville was not listening. All he saw was the countenance of Bellatrix Lestrange glaring back at him. Just seeing her brought up painful memories of growing up with parents who didn't recognize him. All of the pain and anguish came rushing to him.

No one would ever forget the day that Neville Longbottom reached for his wand and casted a _crucio_ on Bellatrix Lestrange.

And that was the last thing that Hermione saw: her childhood friend that she helped through school and the one that asked her to the Yule ball raising his wand to cast an Unforgivable on her.

As the crucio hit Hermione, her slender body became wracked with an unspeakable pain. She shook. And she vomited, not from the pain, but from the knowledge that someone who showed such gentleness to plants could be the root of that much torture to a human being.

Hermione found herself on the floor as the pain was relieved.

"H-help me," she pleaded, "It's me, Hermione. Help me!"

She felt something wet hit her face. Someone had spit on her.

Hermione tried to get up on her feet, but she swayed. And the last thing that she saw before she blacked out was hatred. Hatred from everyone.

Lucius Malfoy was standing across the room during this entire exchange. He would never forget the look of brokenness that crossed Hermione Granger's face as she pleaded for her friends to recognize her, to help her.

Lucius had force himself to stand still as he saw the brutal treatment of Hermione as she was lifted away, undoubtedly for questioning and potentially, more torture.

* * *

**I must say, this is a rather quick update for me.**

**Your wonderful reviews are most appreciated...**

**...and they boost my morale! Hint!**

-Jadia

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